CalmSeasQuest

After weeks of research and test drives (GL350, QX60, Acadia, Explorer...) I decided on a 2014 SH-AWD Advance/Entertainment. I was able to negotiate the purchase at $52,800 plus the dealer installed options...

• Advance Running Boards
• Front Bumper Trim
• Fog Lights
• Package V
• Cargo Net
• Body Side Molding
• Rear Bumper Protector
• 5000lb Towing Option
• Door Edge Film
• Hinged Cargo Mat

It went directly from the dealer to the detailer for,

• 3M Scotch Guard Ultra Film - Front clip, 24" of hood and fenders, mirrors, headlights, A-Pillars, Roofline and handle wells
• Windshield Tint - 3M Crystalline @ 90%
• Driver and Passenger Side Windows Tint - 3M Color Stable (match)
• Opti-Coat Pro - Entire vehicle including 3M wrap and rims - top with Opti-Seal

I'm not loving the rims and will handle that aftermarket BUT - there was one aesthetic of the MDX I HATED, the "Beak", so... I had wing/beak wrapped in gloss black vinyl, then covered in the same 3M SG Ultra film to math the front which will then be Opti-Coated.

I just got these pics from the detailer - Although it's hard to see any details (sorry for the cell pic), I'm already LOVING it...





I pick it up on Monday - Can't wait to see it.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Congrats!

aces2412

So $52,800 included these accessories?

driver

Congrats on your purchase. Could you post a picture with whole car and beak shown to get a better view of how it looks as whole?

Also did your detailed clay and polish the paint before putting on the PPM and Opti-coat? Even on our new MDX there were scratches I had to polish out before I Opti-coated. I'm planning to get Xpel Ultimate PPM on full bumper, hood and fender over my Opti-coat.

CalmSeasQuest

Thanks!
No, $52,800 was just the vehicle. I negotiated 20% of the dealer installed options.

The 3M film and window tint installer polished the areas to be covered by the film. He did state there were numerous tiny defects that he was able to see under perfect lighting (which I did not notice under sunlight at delivery), including some defects in the base coat. He doubts I'll notice them once the film and Opti-Coat are completed.

Today it goes from the film/tint installer to the Opti-Coat shop. My understanding of the Opti-Coat Pro process is the entire vehicle is washed, decontaminated and inspected and then polished with a surface priming agent. The Opti-Coat is then applied over the entire vehicle including the rims and areas wrapped in the 3M SGU film. I was told to Opti-Coat over the film as there were often problems with adhesion as the film doesn't stick well to the Opti-Coated surface.

Before you decide on the Xpel film, look at 3M Scotch Guard Ultra film (just released.) After reviewing many comparisons including a very convincing comparison on YouTube, I abandoned my plans to use the Xpel in favor of the 3M.

Strange, not sure why the video shows twice - I'll post better photos once I pick her up on Monday.

driver

Interesting. I've not heard of that product from 3M. How is the pricing and warranty on that PPF?

As for PPF over Opti-Coat, I did this on my Lexus and I had no issues with PPM staying put. I just think it make more sense to have the opti-coat on first protecting the paint vs. opti-coat over PPF.

driver

I found another video comparing the 3 self healing and results seem different than video you referenced. LOL!

CalmSeasQuest

My installer offered both and priced the 3M $100 less than Xpel. The 3M warranty is 7 years vs Xpel is 10. Both include guarantees against yellowing and replacement labor but exclude faulty installation, normal wear and tear...
Wow, I'm not sure what to make of the different results in the video - especially as the results of all films tested were different. It appears as if they testing entirely different films.

At this point, I'm relying on my installers recommendation as he preferred the 3M film, even though it was less expensive. I also reasoned that as the 3M film was just released, it might include advances in materials not available when the Expel was created

- I guess time will tell.

CalmSeasQuest

I picked her up from the Opti-Coat shop today - I'm very pleased...



The 3M 20% Color Stable tint film is a near-perfect match to the rear glass.




To my eye, my solution to eliminate the intolerable "beak" was also a success. There is a slight tonal difference in the black, but it is a HUGE improvement over stock. Wrapping the vinyl in the 3M film also helped it blend in with the rest of the front clip.





Painting and clear-coating the wing would have provided a better final solution, but for ~$100, I'm very pleased with the results of wrapping it.



The 3M Crysatlline 90% placed on the windshield also came out near perfect. It's amazing how little radiant heat now finds it's way into the cabin from the windshield.

Overall I very happy with the initial appearance of both the 3M Color Stable and Scotch Guard Ultra films and the Opti-coat Pro. Time will tell how they age.

Edward'TLS

Very nice.

hadokenuh

Looks awesome with all the accessories in black. And it's clean too

Good work. Keep it up.

CalmSeasQuest

Thanks all - I've only got a few hundred miles on her, but thus far, I'm really enjoying the X. I'm even getting comfortable with the less-than intuitive center stack.

The only potential "squawk" discovered so far is that the lane keeping function tends to favor the left side of the lane (rather than lane-centering.) I'll inquire if this might be an adjustment that can be made by the dealer.

Acura_Dude

...it's so nice...

SilverJ

beautiful truck. I guess I'm in the minority though, on the MDX, I actually like the "beak". It breaks up the black a little.

CalmSeasQuest

Thanks!
It was strange to me, for reasons unknown I had a visceral response to the grill. I couldn't wait to get it covered.

I stumbled across a 1:43 diecast desktop model of the 2014 MDX on eBay - now just have to decide if it needs tint and a "beak job"

RL06tech

Car looks solid but I'm not sold on the painted "Beak". For black like on your car I probably would prefer to use flat, dark chrome for the whole grill including the surround part. But the important thing is if you like it On our green X the brushed metal look (OEM) looks good. Since I owned one of the original "shield grill" of the previous versions anything looks better

Sgt128

Beautiful ride. Sometimes I wish I would have went with black!

CalmSeasQuest

My MDX is in for service (alignment, pulls left) - Should be able to pick it up tomorrow. It did give me an opportunity to drive an RLX (loaner) which pales in comparison to my X

Prior to purchasing the MDX, I had narrowed my search to the GL-350 and the QX60. Overall I'm very pleased with my selection, but I do miss the higher quality interior and wood trim in the Mercedes and Infiniti.

I took a bit of a gamble and ordered a wood (faux wood in our case) trim kit through CARid. It will match the existing trim and hopefully provide a bit of an upgrade over the gray plastic interior. The kits cover much of the dash, door controls and overhead....



I'm unsure if I'll end up using some, all or none of it, but I'm hoping it will dress up the gear shift area at minimum.

Edward'TLS

^^^^^

Please, interior pictures, please.

CalmSeasQuest

Will do. I got notice the kit was completed and shipped today. I'm traveling this weekend but hope to have time to work on the interior next week.

ECRD

Looks really good I like it!

TJP_AccordV6

did the dealer drill holes for the front plate?

CalmSeasQuest

Just a quick update - Loving the X, the Opti coat and film (including the "beakectomy") is holding up great.

I haven't had an opportunity to install the trim kit yet. I'm in the process of restoring a Mercury Marauder and it's taking much of my free time. My only disappointment are the wheels. I'l likely change them for something a bit showier come spring.

And thankfully - no holes in my bumper

NelsonLee

Is this what you got?
Remin® - Acura MDX 2014-2015 Full Kit

CalmSeasQuest

Yes, with the overhead console kit.

NelsonLee

Ah, I've been looking for something just to overlay over the OEM wood trim, this seems overkill for my needs.

Nexx

i dunno.. i think like the beak the way it is out of the factory on the mdx.

jiggaman

nice

rondog

iTrader: (1)

Looks like an improvement!

RSLTSX09XMNAVWX

How is the Marauder project going? Any Pictures? Also have you done anything with the interior trim yet?

CalmSeasQuest

The Marauder project took an interesting turn a month back. I got the 04MM back in service....





But then.. I stumbled on a Trilogy Supercharged Marauder (one of only 250 build)... So now I've got a matched set except the Trilogy has 450RWHP



No pics of the Trilogy yet, she's still at the detailers.

The MDX wood trim is still in the box. I'll get to it eventually.

CalmSeasQuest

Had her in for her first oil change yesterday. I also asked they address a few issues,

Poor remote start range - There are times the remote door lock/starter fails to work as close as 50'. Overall the remote starter range is horrible. In speaking with the service technician (who also drives an MDX); he agreed and said Acura was aware of the problem, but that no resolution was yet available. I'm hopeful they simple add remote start as on option on AcuraLink.

Lane keeping veers to the left - When I first picked up the X, the lane keeping feature would literally drive you off the road to the left. They adjusted the camera and it is much improved but still tends to "ride" the left lane line. They say the camera was within spec and that it was functioning as designed.

Disable the Navi voice - I had been unable to determine how to SHUT HER UP. Now it's nice and quiet

She's now ready for a Christmas trip from Michigan to Key Largo.

As an aside - The loaner was a 14' RLX which was nice overall and much quicker than our MDX however; I realized how much I like the adaptive cruise and lane keeping. The only feature the RLX had that I wish was on the X was Brake Hold. To me, the X is far more comfortable.

Kostyan

OP, the GL350 retails for 80's-90's so it is in a very different category than MDX...very surprised you went for MDX because the GL is a really fine vehicle.


Liking what you've done to the beak, other than that, the film and extras is a waist of $$, IMHO

One of the turn downs of the MDX, at least for me, is lack of a real wood trim. That plastic is too cheap on a 50K vehicle.

Kostyan

forgot to ask about the OEM hitch on your MDX: how does Acura package it, is it part of a towing package, a standalone option, or only sold as a dealer add-on?

CalmSeasQuest

I had ordered a GL350, but got tired of waiting for an available build slot. I drove an MDX mostly out of curiosity as the Acura dealer was located next to the Benz dealer. I found the X to drive much more car-like and was an overall better fit for us than the GL (although I agree the GL interior was vastly superior.)

I'll disagree on the film. Even with only 6K miles, I can see hits on the front end that were taken by the film that no doubt would have resulted in paint chips. As for other options being a waste - I'm not sure which you refer to but my only disappointment has been the remote starter. It's range is so short, I wish I had chosen an aftermarket solution.

IIRC, the hitch was a dealer option. I haven't had an opportunity to use it yet, but I suspect Gracie (my 13' Anniv CVO Road King) will spend some time behind the X next summer. Al in all, I'm really pleased with the vehicle.

atuantt218

Check my out

atuantt218

Red paint on brake

atuantt218

Led interior light and super bright reverse light

atuantt218

My baby tls<br/>

BlackBart

Here we are a year later! Did you find a solution to the short operational distance of the remote start?